Plan to remove 'The Rocks' opposed

By Adam WagnerStarNews Staff

Wednesday

Jul 29, 2015 at 4:29 PM

Local governments and marine experts want explanation for legislation

BALD HEAD ISLAND | Local governments and marine experts say the explanation being given for a bill removing the structure known as "The Rocks" doesn't pass muster, and they'll oppose it until they get a better one.

The removal of "The Rocks" between Zeke's and Smith islands on the southern tip of New Hanover County, which would also shift the boundary of the Zeke's Island Reserve 200 feet east toward the Atlantic Ocean, is part of N.C. House Bill 97, the 2015 Appropriations Act. N.C. Senate Bill 160, which originally proposed the action, passed the state Senate in May, but has been stalled in a House committee since. Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, is a sponsor of the Senate bill.

"Ecosystem restoration and protection of navigational safety" are cited in the legislation as key reasons for removing The Rocks, but local experts say such action could have negative effects such as increased shoaling in the Cape Fear River and erosion on Bald Head Island's East Beach. Local experts and officials also don't think the ecosystem restoration reason holds water.

"What I smell in this is that we're not being leveled with about what's really going on," said Larry Cahoon, a professor and oceanographer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. "Ecologically, I haven't heard an argument about what's broken that needs fixing."

The ecosystem in that area, Cahoon added, has developed over the nearly 150 years The Rocks have been there, and any major changes could be disruptive, particularly if an inlet were to reopen between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Fear River.

Betty Wallace, Oak Island's mayor, said she will work against the legislation until legislators make their environmental concerns clear.

"If they would spell out the environmental concerns they're worried about, then it would help us all understand if there were really a true purpose for undoing what the (Army Corps of Engineers) did almost 150 years ago," Wallace said.

Taking the structure apart could change the ecosystem of the Cape Fear River, cause increased shoaling that would require dredging and lead to increased storm surge flooding during major storms, according to a white paper prepared by Erik Olsen, the Village of Bald Head Island's coastal engineer.

In addition, Bald Head Island officials are concerned that sand that would historically end up on the island's East Beach would instead come to a rest in the channel.

"The proposal is to change it for the sake of natural flow of water," said Calvin Peck, Bald Head's manager, "and we've done everything we possibly could for 150 years to manipulate the flow of water."

By the time the bill was referred to the House's transportation committee on July 16, both Oak Island and Carolina Beach had passed resolutions opposing it. That followed Bald Head Island's passing a similar resolution in June.

Many questions remain about removing The Rocks, including what the final price tag would be, how long it would take and what the true environmental impact would be. Lee, the senator who introduced the bill, said he did not know of any studies reviewing what the environmental impact of the dam -- or a portion of it -- would be.

Characterizing the New Inlet Dam's inclusion on the original legislation, which was meant to provide a comprehensive approach to the state's shallow draft inlets, Lee said, "Let's look at this one, as well, and see what it would need to restore the inlet so that recreational fishermen and others could access the ocean through what used to be a navigable inlet."

It also remains unclear, he said, if an inlet could one day be used as a shipping channel for vessels trying to reach the Port of Wilmington. What the bill is not, he said, is the first step toward building a mega-port on 600 acres of land owned by the N.C. State Ports Authority in Southport.

"It has nothing to do with that," Lee said, adding he believes Southport land isn't a viable site for a mega-port because of its proximity to the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant and the "competitive cycle" with other ports on the Eastern seaboard.